Marine Science: Terms of reference

The Government then created the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee (MSCC) that prepared the 2012 Marine Science Strategy. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 created the Marine Management Organisation and the Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) designation.

The Committee seeks submissions on the following matters:

1. Since 2007 has there been improved strategic oversight and coordination of marine science? 
2. What progress has been made in delivering the 2010 Marine Science Strategy? 
3. How effective have the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee (MSCC) and Marine Management Organisation been, and what improvements could be made?
4. Has the selection of proposed Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) been based on robust scientific evidence? How well has the scientific evidence been balanced with socio-economic considerations and communicated to affected coastal communities?
5. How effectively does the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) support marine science in polar and non-polar regions?
6. How well are the current and potential impacts of global warming on the oceans (for example temperature changes and acidification) being monitored and addressed by Government and others?

Submitting written evidence

The Committee invites written submissions on these issues by midday on Wednesday 19 September 2012.

Each submission should:

• be no more than 3,000 words in length 
• be in Word format with as little use of colour or logos as possible 
• have numbered paragraphs 
• include a declaration of interests.

A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail and marked "Marine Science".

An additional paper copy should be sent to:

The Clerk
Science and Technology Committee
House of Commons
7 Millbank
London SW1P 3JA

Please note that:

• Material already published elsewhere should not form the basis of a submission, but may be referred to within a proposed memorandum, in which case a hard copy of the published work should be included.
• Memoranda submitted must be kept confidential until published by the Committee, unless publication by the person or organisation submitting it is specifically authorised. 
• Once submitted, evidence is the property of the Committee. The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to make public the written evidence it receives, by publishing it on the internet (where it will be searchable), by printing it or by making it available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence. 
• Select Committees are unable to investigate individual cases.

More information on submitting evidence to Select Committees may be found on the parliamentary website.